Fletching jig



June 16, 1942. w, (QROHDE Fm'rame JIG Filed June 22, 1940 INVENTOR V/447's? C- Eaxmfi MAMYM 'ATrQRNEYJ,

Patented June 16, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLETCHING JIG Walter C..Rohde, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June '22, 1940, Serial No. 341,979

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in fietching jigs.

The object of my invention is to provide a fietching jig adapted to high speed production of accurately .fletched arrows.

More particularly stated, it is the object of my invention to provide a fletching jig in which the arrow shaft, upon insertion in the jig, will automatically be accurately positioned with refence to a feather-holding clamp so that no inaccuracies of manual placement enter into the fietching operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a fletching jig having characteristics of micrometer accuracy with provision for adjustment to vary the pitch of the feather.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of my-fletching jig with a portion of a partially fletched arrow shaft positioned therein, portions of the jig, being broken away' in vertical section. V

Figure 2 is a view of my jig in plan as viewed on a line normal to the axis of an arrow shaft placed in the jig.

Figure 3 is a sectionon line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 shows the shorter leg of my jig with my floating shaft nock receiver, the dotted lines indicating the movement of the floating parts.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 1 showing portions of the feathers glued to the shaft in their proper positions.

Figure 6 is a detail of one end of a feather clamp fitted with my adjusting means for changing the pitch of a feather.

Figure 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

My fletching jig I is in general constructed upon a frame having a long leg H and a short leg I2 extending upwardly from a base l3 to receive, in notched portions of the legs, an arrow shaft I4 disposed upwardly at an angle to the base I3. This is in accord with accepted practice so that many jigs may be disposed about a turntable closely adjacent t one another for mass production by one operator, the arrow shafts being at such an angle as to permit close positioning of the various jigs.

Each of the legs II and I2 is notched as shown at I and I6 respectively so that the shaft of the arrow disposed at the bottom of the Vd notch assumes a position which is accurately predetermined with reference to the other structural members of the jig and the accessories used therewith. However, I have found it necessary,

in order that the jig'may be rapidly used without sacrificing accuracy, that my new floating indexing shaft nook holder be provided as follows:

Upon the shorter leg I2 of my jig I secure a C-shaped box I1, the lips I8 and I9 of which engage the short leg I2 along its side margins. A screw at 20 fixes this box I! positively with reference to the leg I2. My floating nock receiver includes a slide block 25 accurately sized to slide in the box H, the block being centrally apertured to receive a rotatable nock holder 26 comprising a tubular member flanged at 21 and provided with a spring clip 28 upon which the mock 29 of the shaft I4 is readily receivable. Flange 21 freely rotatable withnock receiver 26 with which it unitarily turns is notched or grooved at three points in its periphery and a ball detent an, spring pressed by spring 3| and screw 32, tends to drop into the grooves whereby to position the shaft alternatively rotatably at points from one another in the rotation of the shaft.

When a shaft I4 is placed in position with its nock 29 uponthe spring clip 28 as shown in Fig. l, the block 25 as released bythe operator will drop as far as the Vd notch [6 will permit. Thus, automatically the shaft is accurately positioned with reference. to the-Vd notch I5 in the long leg of the jig. and the first fletching operation may be performed.

It will be noted that the walls of the notched portions of the legs II and I2 are straight and parallel. Between them, end guides 35 and 36 of feather clamp 31 are receivable. These guides are rigidly secured to the main clamp fin 38 against which the secondary fin 39 is urged by spring clamp members 49 and 4|, the general shape and construction of which will be recognized immediately as comparable to ordinary stationers clamps. The feather 45 clipped in a manner well known in this art is receivable between the main clamping fin 38 and the secondary clamping fin 39, and the guides 35 and 36 are so placed with reference to the main clamping fin 38 that the glue-coated feather will be placed against the shaft of the arrow as indicated in Fig. 5, upon the true vertical radius of the shaft as shown at 46 in Fig. 5. When the first feather has been placed against the shaft and the glue has dried sufiiciently to hold it in position, the clamp 31 may be removed from the feather and the nook holder 26 may be rotated 120 to the point where ball detent 39 will fall into the next groove in the flange 21. Another feather may then be placed in the clamp 31 and applied to the shaft. When this has been resince the smaller arrow merely drops deeper in Y t the V of the notch. It is, of course, well known that experts i archery have their individual preferences as to the use of feathers from the left wing or from the right wing of the birdv from which the feathers were taken. The clamp 'of' my fletching jig is made accurately to accommodate this preference, since the main clamp fin 38 is secured to guides 35 and 36 which are milled eight thousandths off center to accommodate the average thickness of the feather. Thus, the ,arrow fletched for a right hand feather will be placed under a clamp, the secondary clamping fin 39 of which is on the right side as one sights down the arrow from the nock end, and a left hand feather will be placed in the clamp which has been reversed end for end so the secondary fin 39 is on the left.

Many archers prefer that the feathers of their arrows have provision for greater or lesser spin or rotation of theshaft in flight and I provide for adjustment of my clamp 31 to make as accurate placement of the feather as possible. As indicated above, end guides 35 and 36 forthe main clamp fin Silare receivable in the'notched portions of the legs II and l2 so as to properly and accurately position the feather upon the arrow shaft. In the. adjustable construction shown in Figs. 6 and '7 .in my drawing, an adjustable guide 50 has .an inverted L shape .and the short leg 5| of the guide overlies the main clamp fin. This leg 5| of the guide is slotted at 52 to receive a threaded post 53 extending upward from the clamp fin. A threaded knob 54 fitted upon the threaded post thus clamps the adjustable guide 50 in any reasonable range of adjustment upon the fin.

By the means thus described, the position of the arrow upon the shaft may be offset at an angle best suited to the particular archers technique and may provide for right or left hand rotation of the arrow as it is projected from the bow.

From the above description, it will be seen that a fletching operation may be speeded up and accuracy may be attained, since the simple placement of the nock 29 of the arrow into my fletchingnock receiver will cause the arrow to assume an accurately predetermined position as the shaft settles into the V of the notch in each le of my jig. As each feather is placed in position, rotation of my floating nock receiver to the next index position is easily accomplished without dangerthat the shaft will be misaligned, and if a particular angle of the feather deviating from the true accurate alignment thereof on the shaft is desired, my adjustable guides provide for such adjustment without sacrificing accuracy.

I claim:

l. A fletching jig having notched legs spaced apart, a feather holding clamp provided with guides at either end thereof for reception in said notches, an arrow shaft receiving nock holder adjacent one of the legs whereby to position an arrow therein beneath the feather holding clamp, the guides for the clamp being positioned with reference to the feather holding clamp to apply the feather in opposite right or left relation to the axis of the arrow shaft and the dimensions of the notches in the legs and of the guides being identical ateither end of the jig and clamp whereby the clamp may be reversed.

2. A fletching jig having spaced legs, each leg being notched for the reception of an arrow shaft, the side walls of the notches being parallel, a feather clamp havinga main clamp fin and a secondary fin urged theretobyspring pressure, the main fin being provided at either end thereof with a guide, the guidesbeing receivable within the parallel walls of the notches in said legs, whereby to accurately position a feather held by said clamp against the shaft of an arrow in said xWALTER C. ROI-IDE. 

